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How will mobile gaming shape IT jobs in Southeast Asia?

Posted in Business & Technology on 08th July 2015

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Mobile gaming is set to shape the job market in Southeast Asia, opening plenty of opportunities for passionate gamers to start a career.

Mobile gaming has reached heights – in terms of both popularity and revenue – that conventional video gaming is likely to be jealous of. There are a number of forces at play that have made smart devices the platform of choice for a range of gamers.

Consequently, this is defining the nature of IT jobs in this sector, with those who grew up playing video games now having even more channels to turn their passion into a career.

According to new research from Frost & Sullivan, Southeast Asia in particular will become a hotspot for candidates looking for these jobs, as growth in this sector looks to outpace competing markets.

What do the figures show?

Frost & Sullivan found that Southeast Asia is the fastest growing market for mobile games in the world, due to increased access to broadband and more widely available smart devices.

Naturally, this growth resulted in record revenue for mobile games in the region, topping US$1 billion in 2014. Two countries in particular – Singapore and Malaysia – were highlighted as being the leaders of the trend, but the surrounding areas are likely to catch up in the coming years.

Because of this, Frost & Sullivan is predicting a dramatic growth in the total revenue earned from mobile gaming in Southeast Asia. By 2019 annual revenue is expected to rise to $7 billion.

This will be led by one platform in particular – Android. So far, Google’s contender has created and maintained significant market share over its rivals, due mainly to its usability on the cheaper devices favoured in the region.

With 600 million potential gamers spread throughout Southeast Asia, Android app developers have a large market to advertise their skills to. Combining this with smartphone sales that have risen by 65.5 per cent – according to IDC – results in plenty of opportunity for jobseekers.

Is this a global trend?

According to Newzoo, this growth is being reflected across the world at similar rates, with China and the US expected to compete for top spot.

Globally, the firm is expecting total revenue to exceed $44.2 billion by 2018, half of which will be split between China and US alone.

There will also be new markets growing within this sector. Currently, mobile gaming is dominated by smartphone platforms. With a predicted growth rate of 17.1 per cent for tablets, this could change in the future.

Jobseekers with a passion for gaming should not only be keeping their eye on this region, but mobile trends in general as it is a market primed for further growth.